The Billionaire's Demands (A Boardrooms and Billionaires Series Book) (Entangled Indulgence) (16 page)

“The lobby just called up. West Harrison is here to see you. He’s not on your calendar. Do you want me to tell him you’re not here?”

All that delicious warmth faded at the news Booth’s father was here. “No, not at all. Send him up. And Amy?”

“Yes.”

“Please leave the door open after you drop him off.”

“Of course.”

Camryn dragged in a few deep breaths. There was only one reason West could possibly be in the offices and asking to see her. She toyed briefly with handling the meeting on her own before she thought better of it and grabbed her phone. The warm voice on the other end went a long way toward calming her racing pulse.

“Hi, sweetie.”

“Sally.” Their chief legal counsel and her mother’s oldest friend, Sally had been instrumental in helping her and her sisters restore the company. She was also a savvy business ally and the fact West was here in the building ensured Camryn needed to be on her game.

“Back already from Hawaii?”

“I am and I need a favor.” She caught Sally up quickly on what was going on.

“I’ll be right down. I’ll wait outside your office as you suggested. I’ve got your back, sweetie.”

Sally’s show of support went a long way toward calming her nerves another few degrees. Much as she wanted to face this one alone, Camryn knew it wasn’t that simple. If West was as determined to maintain his business practices as she suspected, she couldn’t afford to talk to him alone. Especially since his own legal counsel was already involved.

Amy knocked on her door, brisk and efficient as always. “Mr. Harrison is here to see you.”

“Thanks, Amy.” Camryn crossed the room toward West, her hands outstretched in greeting. If he wanted to play dirty, she wasn’t about to make it easy or comfortable on him.

“West. It’s so nice to see you again.”

Amy dropped off bottles of water, then left the room, the door ajar as requested.

West took her hands, his smile broad. His blue eyes were as vivid as his sons’, but they held calculation and guile in equal measure.

Oh yes, he was up to something.

“Camryn, my girl. Thanks for seeing me. You did quite a job at the sales conference. No one can stop talking about you and your keynote.”

“It was a lot of fun and I really appreciated being asked.” She gestured toward the leather sofa that lined the far wall of the office. “And who can argue with a few days in Hawaii?”

“I do know what you mean.”

Their conversation was casual and full of awkward small talk before West leaned forward, his forearms on his knees. “Booth’s been bound and determined to expand the event each year. First it was just sales. Then he expanded it to some key editorial contributors. And now he’s even inviting clients.”

“It’s quite an event.”

“It’s become a damn dog and pony.”

Camryn kept her smile broad. “Well, that’s the ad business for you. We can’t do anything halfway, now can we? It takes spending money to make money.”

“You’d know all about that, especially with managing financials on a company the size of McBride Media.”

“It does keep me busy.”

“My son seems enamored for the moment. You’re the feisty businesswoman who’s caught his attention. For now.”

West’s words caught her off guard and she fought to keep her composure, never allowing the smile to fall. “I’m not sure why he’d be enamored of anything. He’s a hard worker himself. As is Nathan. You must be awfully proud of your children and their ability to go after their dreams.”

That same guile she’d seen when he walked in shifted and changed to something darker and…meaner? And a whole lot more desperate. “Booth’s the heir to my company. Nathan has chosen to have no part and I’ve learned to live with that. But I won’t have it happen with Booth.”

“He has nothing but good things to say about the company. And he has a deep love for the news business.”

“So why were you so damned intent on messing with that?”

Even though she knew he was working up to it, Camryn was still stunned by the ferocity of West’s verbal attack. “I’m sorry?”

“Oh, don’t play coy with me. You had everyone at the conference worked up. Talking to my advertisers about their budgets. Then tempting my financial team with how much better it is over here at McBride.”

“I’m not sure what you think happened, but I can assure you I did neither of those things.”

“You didn’t talk to Jeff Saunders and tell him how he should be buying different ad packages? And you didn’t talk to Ann Dunham in my finance department, asking her why she was having so much trouble showing a profit on the books?”

“They both spoke to me. As I recall, you introduced me to Jeff yourself.”

West stood up, his voice shifting into a deep bellow. “And you attempted to steal his business, intimating that I’m doing something underhanded.”

“I absolutely and unequivocally did no such thing.” Camryn stood as well, unwilling to stay seated, allowing him the dominant position in the room. “And if you were so damned concerned about what he had to say, why the hell did you foist him on me at the luau?”

“You were a pretty conversation partner. I had no idea you’d try to damage the event or our business relationship with his company. Besides, I figured you’d be wallowing in misery over your lost deal and could use the distraction.”

“Excuse me?” All the clues slammed into place as West’s words rang in her mind. The feedback from the
FJ
to Morrison that selling to McBride wasn’t a good idea. The timing. The fact that the deal had been going well before the discussion had come to West’s notice at Keira and Nathan’s dinner party.

It was all there.

“You had a business deal and I had information to share. To borrow your phrase.” A dark smile grazed his lips, sharklike. “That’s the ad business.”

“No, West, it’s dirty business.” She forced all her anger and rage into a small box and locked it down tight. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction—absolutely refused to do so—of seeing her rant and rail. “I have no idea what you hoped to gain by coming over here but I think it’s time you left.”

“You may have my son wrapped around your pretty little fingers, but I’ll be damned if I let you scam his inheritance out of him.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. I think you’re doing a damn fine job of it all by yourself.”

Although she’d been annoyed by his arrival in her office, she’d not yet been scared. That all changed when a wash of anger filled West’s face in hard lines. “Stay the hell away from my son. I couldn’t stop your sister from messing with Nathan’s head. I’ll be damned if I let you ruin all I’ve built for my family.”

Raw fury pumped through her veins. Whether it was the feelings churned up by the old memories of Matt and her mother’s death or the lifelong antics of her father, she didn’t know. But West’s words had her seeing pure, unadulterated rage. “I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but let me set you straight. I’ve done nothing to your company. And I’ve done nothing to your son. Clearly you’ve been manipulating the books at the
Financial Journal
and you’re now looking for an easy scapegoat. It won’t be me.”

West headed for the door, turning before he got to the entryway. “He’s fuckstruck right now because everything’s new and fresh. How quickly do you think that’ll fade when he puts two and two together? When he talks to Jeff and Ann and knows you spoke to them?”

“In casual conversation, nothing more.”

“No. As an enemy of the
Financial Journal
. You’ve been leading him on and clearly have no respect for his legacy or what he’s built. It’s only a matter of time before he sees reason. I’ve already begun the process to help him along.”

West marched out, his last words echoing in the room.

Camryn laid a hand over her middle at the heavy pit that cratered her stomach, turning the gallon of coffee she’d already had to acid. She’d spent her life with an absent father but she’d never assigned overtly devious motives to him.

But West? How had Booth lived with that his entire life?

And more important, how had he managed to thrive despite such a toxic example of leadership, both inside their family and in their family business?

That crater opened a little wider at the further proof she should have gone straight to Booth with her suspicions. Should have given him the chance to explain first before drawing her conclusions.

She wanted to believe Booth would accept her side of the story. But at the evidence that West had already spoken to his son—had already laid down a bed of lies about her—she wondered if there was any way she could fix what had already been broken.

…

There was no saucy neighbor to escort him up in the elevator, so Booth stopped to give his name to Camryn’s doorman. Where he’d expected a relaxed trip to Hawaii, the last forty-eight hours had been anything but.

His father’s power play with the legal team had blindsided him in every sense of the word. But it was the evidence Camryn was aware of the situation that nearly obliterated him.

At the nod from the doorman, he headed for the elevators, grateful no one else was nearby for requisite small talk. Camryn had the door open when he stepped off.

“Hi.”

“Hi yourself.” He ran his gaze over her face, desperately searching for the woman he thought he knew.

“Come in. We’ve got a lot to talk about.”

He stepped into her entryway, the bold colors surrounding him while the soft scent of her filled his senses. She was fresh and bright and for the first time he felt betrayed by that, even as he fought the urge to touch her. After they’d made love in Hawaii, he’d dreamed of coming home to her. Of coming into this apartment and taking her in her bed.

And now?

Now he couldn’t believe how far she’d gone to keep him at arm’s length. “You just had to sabotage what’s between us, didn’t you?”

She stopped beside the couch in her living room and turned to face him. “Sabotage? Booth, that’s not true.”

“It’s absolutely true.” He flung a hand out, the quick motion nearly knocking a lamp to the floor. “I spoke to Jeff. He was more than quick to tell me how you told him what was going on was illegal.”

“I did no such thing! He’s scared, Booth. He’s a newbie and he has no idea what he’s doing and he’s afraid of being accused of doing something wrong. All I told him was that ad dollars shouldn’t beget favorable press and to stop paying for it. That’s all I said.”

Booth wanted to believe her. Wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but nothing changed the fact that she hadn’t said anything to him about the discussion. “So if that’s all, then why didn’t you tell me?”

“I—”

“You what?”

“I wanted to investigate what he was talking about before I said anything.”

“You had to have talked to him before we had sex, yet you kept it from me. You had doubts and you kept them from me.”

“I didn’t know if he was right!”

He shook his head, unwilling to let her off that easy. “You’ve resisted from the beginning, but here I was, pushing and pushing. Honestly expressing my feelings.”

“What feelings? The ones that wanted me in bed.”

“The ones that wanted you in my life!”

“I’m not immune to you. You must know that.”

“Then why did you keep this from me? You sensed something. You just said yourself you wanted to dig into it. Hell, my legal counsel told me in Hawaii. Yet you said nothing to me.”

“We’re having a fling, not a relationship. What the hell did you want me to say?”

“I wanted you to tell me your concerns.”

She laughed and wrapped her arms around her waist. “And what would I have said? ‘Sorry, Booth. I think your father’s a raging ass, taking money where he shouldn’t, and oh, by the way, are you involved, too?’ Just like the bad deal with Morrison that had you so upset.”

Something cold and tight settled in his gut like an icy fist. “You thought I was involved? Again, without giving me the benefit of defending myself?”

“No. Not really.”

“Not really? What the hell is that supp—” He broke off, the truth stamped across her face in miserable lines. “You were afraid I knew? That’s why you didn’t say anything.”

Chapter Twelve

Camryn kept her arms firmly wrapped around her body, as if the action could ward off the accusations in Booth’s gaze. “It’s not like that.”

“What’s it like then? You were concerned about my involvement. When did you come to this conclusion?”

“Your father introduced me to Jeff at the luau. And he said something that seemed a little off. That’s all. Just off.”

“So it was fine and dandy to have sex that night. You still thought I was a stand-up guy at that point.”

“Booth. Listen to me. Let me explain.” When he only nodded, she tried to marshal her arguments. “He spoke to me during the luau, asking to be introduced to an editorial director at McBride. I explained it didn’t work that way and that I’d have the woman follow up if she was interested. Jeff got confused and left it at that. It was only the next day, after my keynote, that Jeff grew more concerned he’d handled things poorly.”

He dragged his hand through his hair, tugging on the ends before dropping to the couch. “So you talked to him after your keynote. That’s when you thought something was up?”

She wanted to hide from it. Wanted to pretend it hadn’t happened, but she’d learned years ago wishing the bad stuff away didn’t make it go away. “Yes.”

“You saw me after that. You could have told me what you suspected. You could have asked me, Camryn.”

“Why? So you could turn tail and run?”

“No, damn it. So I could explain myself to you. I’m not running anything suspicious at the
FJ
. Hell, until my father’s lawyers pulled me out of lunch the other day I had no idea anything was wrong.”

“How? It’s your paper. You’re responsible for it. How couldn’t you have known?”

He shrugged, the motion so heavy she could practically picture the weight of the world positioned on his shoulders. “I didn’t. But clearly you thought I did, which doesn’t make me feel any better.”

“What did your father say when you talked to him?”

“This is a private company matter. I’m afraid I can’t discuss it with you.”

“Maybe you should go.” She wanted to ask him to stay. Wanted to see if they could figure a way around the sheer mess of their situation, but nothing could fix it.

“Maybe I should.”

Mayson had warned her Booth deserved better than judgment without a chance to explain himself, but she hadn’t listened. Hadn’t truly thought through the consequences. And when she closed the door behind him, those consequences became as clear as his cold, bleak, icy-blue gaze.

She’d lost him. Not because he’d chosen to leave, but because she’d pushed him away.

…

Booth threw the deli bag on his desk, the thought of his pastrami sandwich suddenly holding no interest. Not much had held his interest for the last two days since returning from Hawaii.

Since his night in Camryn’s apartment.

He’d wanted to say so much more, but faced with the evidence that she’d judged him and found him lacking in honest business practices—that she even had a doubt about his integrity—hadn’t left him with any choice.

So he’d left.

And while he had no doubts about his own integrity, he was fast coming to question his father’s. He knew West Harrison hadn’t risen in the business world by being a nice guy, but he’d never thought his father capable of something so underhanded. They had a responsibility to report the news accurately and fairly. And his father had ignored that public mandate for the last six months.

The real question was why.

He dropped into his chair and flipped through the notes he’d compiled on their financials as well as what ran in the paper. He’d done the work himself, unwilling to turn it over to anyone in the company. Who knew who his father had helping him out.

In the process, Booth had uncovered the truth. His father had been taking ad money in exchange for favorable press. Nothing had crossed the line into truly illegal—yet—but it was unethical as hell.

And, he suspected, only a matter of time before his father did cross that very clear line.

He’d already shared the file with his legal counsel and he’d requested a meeting with his father for later that afternoon. Now he was stuck playing the waiting game.

…

Camryn went through the motions, answering e-mails, leading meetings, attending an investor dinner. She’d even followed up with the Japanese investors she’d met in San Francisco, enjoying an hour-long conference call that had paid dividends in shared knowledge and an introduction on behalf of one of their clients.

What she still hadn’t figured out, despite staying so busy she barely slept, was how to stop thinking about Booth.

“You look lovely.”

Camryn glanced up to see Sally standing in her doorway and shot her a wry smile that she didn’t really feel. “That’s awfully nice of you. I needed a sweet lie today.”

“I mean it. And I never lie, it’s pointless. I love that peacock-blue color on you.” Sally came around the desk to run a hand over the arm of Camryn’s sweater. “And the cashmere is gorgeous. I like the look.”

“You mean something other than my normal look. Funeral chic?”

Sally’s hands went to her hips and her tone dropped several degrees. “Camryn. What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. It’s just been a long week.”

“You mean it’s not gotten any better?”

“Nope.”

“Have you tried to call Booth and explain?”

Camryn shook her head. “What good would it do? I pretty much dug my own grave during the first conversation.”

“He’s a good man. A fair one, too. I’m sure he’d listen again.”

“When I say what?” Camryn rubbed at her burning eyes and tried to hold the tears at bay. “How even though I love him, I’m so damned inept I didn’t give him a chance to explain himself?”

“He cares for you, too. Give him a chance.”

“That’s the problem, though. I didn’t give him a chance when I could. And now I’ve got no one to blame.” Exhaling on a heavy breath, she dashed away the lone tear that had the nerve to fall and focused on other things. “What did your team say? About West’s threats?”

“They’re not worried about his threats and believe they’re really nothing more than bluster. Besides, if he presses too hard, he’s going to turn scrutiny he can’t afford back on himself.”

“I can’t believe he did it.” No matter how many ways she tried to look at it, that single thought hadn’t left her. What did West possibly think he’d gain by going down the path of taking advertiser money for favorable press?

“Powerful men often think the rules don’t apply to them.”

Booth was a powerful man. But how had she ever thought he could be in league with his father on this? And why hadn’t she just gone to him when she had the chance? It seemed so easy now. After, of course, she’d made a mess she had no idea how to clean up.

What a damned joke.

Here she was, so afraid of chaos and confusion. So afraid of life. Yet she’d gone and fallen in love with the one man who made her feel something so powerful and so passionate she was finally ready to leap in with both feet.

I’m not most men.

He’d said that to her in San Francisco, then gone on to prove it every step of the way. The way he treated his driver. The way he treated his team at the
FJ
. The way he treated
her
.

She’d sensed his positive qualities from the start—his innate ability to lead yet not control—but she’d let her fears make her doubt what she’d already understood on an instinctual level.

It was those same instincts that began churning with an idea. “You’re exactly right. Powerful men often think the rules don’t apply to them. But what about the men who are powerful but don’t fit the mold?”

“I’d say they’re few and far between.”

“Then Booth is one of the few. I’ve told him that, but maybe it’s time I showed him.”

…

“This one. Definitely!” Sinclair’s head peeked out of the back of the fashion closet, his hands full of a frothy confection they’d used in a spread the previous month.

Camryn shook her head. “I can’t wear that. I’ll ruin it.”

“What else are you going to do with it?” Sinclair dangled the dress in front of her. “It fits the bill.”

She reached out and ran a hand over the beautiful layers of tulle. “It’s too beautiful. I can’t. Not for what I have planned.”

“Then promise me you’ll wear it after you win him back.”

Sinclair’s confidence—and her own conviction that her plan had a fifty-fifty shot—had a surprising well of tears clogging up her throat. “You sound so sure.”

“Because I am sure. He loves you. Anyone with eyes can see it.”

“I didn’t trust him.”

Sinclair’s wide-eyed expression narrowed and he pulled her toward a small love seat they kept in the fashion closet, the dress a fluffy well of material between them. “You didn’t trust the situation. There’s a difference.”

“That’s nitpicking.” Camryn slashed at the tears, annoyed at the sudden weakness. She had determination on her side—and was more than ready to apologize to Booth—so why was she so convinced he’d still walk away? “And I didn’t trust him.”

“You do now.”

“That doesn’t mean he trusts me.”

“Sweetie.” Sinclair pulled her into his arms, his grip tight and true. “We all do stupid things in love. Crazy, stupid things that we wish we could take back but we can’t. We can only move forward.”

“I know.”

“So move forward. Your future’s waiting.”

The direction was so simple—so honest—and as straightforward as Sinclair’s sweet gaze. He believed in her. And he supported her.

She brushed away the last of the tears and couldn’t resist giving him one more hug. “You do realize I spent as little time as possible in this room before you came into my life.”

He mock-shuddered as he pulled back, then brushed a lock of hair over the shell of her ear. “A situation I’m absolutely delighted we’ve rectified.”

…

The explosion took all of three seconds. Booth could have clocked it with a stopwatch but he’d likely not have gotten the start button pressed fast enough.

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” His father stormed into his office, waving a handful of papers in the air before he tossed them on the desk. “And what in the hell are these papers from the legal team about?”

“You tell me.”

“It’s bullshit. Libelous bullshit.”

“No, Dad. I think it’s anything but.”

“I deserve an explanation.”

Booth glanced at the spread of papers over his desk before staring down his father. “You already know because you’re well aware of what you’ve been up to these last months.”

“That McBride girl got to you, didn’t she? Poisoned you against me.”

“Camryn did nothing.”

“Like hell she did. She’s got you so wrapped around her pussy you’re willing to take her word over mine.”

Booth leaned over the desk and grabbed a handful of his father’s shirt. “Say one more thing about her and I’m not going to stay on this side of the desk.”

West’s eyes widened before he slapped Booth’s hand away. “Don’t threaten me.”

“Then don’t speak that way about the woman I love. And stop using her as the handy scapegoat now that you’ve been discovered.”

Whether it was the declaration of his feelings or the clear evidence in the papers Legal had drafted, Booth didn’t know, but his powerful father seemed to deflate before his eyes. West sat down hard, every one of his sixty-five years painted across his face. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Not yet.”

“Not at all.”

“You’re taking ad money as private income and splitting the bribe with one of our writers to put these stories in place. I’ve already spoken to Ken. He’s packing his things now.”

“He’s a well-respected financial journalist.”

“Not anymore.”

“Those stories weren’t false.” His father’s tone still held plenty of bluster, but the defeat was more than evident in his shifting gaze. “Ken dialed up the good things each company was doing.”

“And avoided mentioning manufacturing problems in China, an impending union strike for a group of telecom workers, and a quarter with underreported write-offs. And that’s just what I’ve discovered so far.”

“They’re minor details.”

“It’s our job to get those details and you know it as well as Ken. I could see my way past a journalist’s mistake, but an omission in exchange for money doesn’t qualify.” Booth waited a moment before asking the real question that hadn’t left him for days. “Why’d you do it?”

“Some things needed fixing in the film division. That flop last summer hit us hard. It hit me hard personally.”

“You can’t honestly think this was the way to fix it?”

“It was only temporary. Just until I could get back on my feet.”

Booth fought the feelings of sympathy that tried to surface. He would not feel bad for his father’s poor choices. Especially since those choices could have ruined his own career.

But no matter how he tried to hold it back, the very real evidence of his father’s failings hit hard. “Did you think of me at all when you did this? Did you consider what it might do to me? To my reputation? I run the damned paper. All my life, I’ve been your chosen son, out to represent all that’s good about the Harrison media empire. And you betrayed me.”

“Like you betrayed me? When you went off and got your own interests.”

“My what?”

“Come on, Booth. Play the ignorance card all you want, you’ve missed this because you’ve been focused on other things for the last decade. Your own production company. Your own interests and investments. You’ve been counting the days until you could be on your own. Just like your brother.”